Sensitivity
by Darkstar of ThunderClan
Summary: NOT for the faint of heart! Tragedy and heartbreak. Think i warned you, though. So this is just a short-story I wrote when I felt depressed. So, it would mean a lot if you would R@R. Thanks. (This is a ONESHOT! Which means I won't be publishing any more.)


**Author's Note:**

**I feel like, as I grow older, I will eventually not like Warriors anymore. *****sobs***** So, I thought, before that time comes, I should write a good short story about tragedy. But first, I'd like to thank cats from the series who changed me the most:**

**Firestar: Who told me to always do what is right.**

**Bramblestar: To show compassion and strength.**

**Bluestar: To put others ahead of yourself.**

**Lionblaze: To never give up in making others understand that you have control of your own self, not others.**

**Squirrelflight: To have the courage to explore new things.**

**I thank all of these characters every day- for they have truly changed me.**

Dawnblaze padded through the gorse tunnel, his eyes downcast. His fur was ragged and uncared for; and the whole Clan had tread silently around him for the past moon, wary of his grief- ever since Heatherwing had died. _Oh Heatherwing. _His heart nearly stopped when he thought of her. Her long fur, her pretty green eyes, her smile. The way she had groomed his fur and talked about her future with him…

He sighed. But that was not to be. Because four moons ago, the fox had taken all that from him. And that was one memory he would never forget.

"_Dawnblaze, will you walk with me?" She had asked. "There is something I need to tell you." He had followed her into the bracken, worry nagging at his pelt. Was she sick? He followed her for a moment more, and they had reached a small clearing. He looked at her. "Yes?" I had asked. She had looked at me, love glowing like fire in her eyes. "I'm expecting kits." And I remembered the shining joy radiating from StarClan and I alike. "Really?" I had asked. "Really." She purred, and entwined her tail with mine, our pelts brushing. And that's when it had happened. He noticed a bright pelt among the branches, and then suddenly there was a fox in the clearing. It had growled warningly its beady eyes fixed on me. I had growled in return. "Help!" I had yowled. And more warriors flooded through, and together, we drove of the two foxes, because a second one had joined the first. As the last fox left through the bracken, I had swiped the blood of my muzzle. And then he had seen her._

_Heatherwing lay broken and bloodied on the ground, slashed open by a dozen wounds. Her blood had formed a pool around her._

"_My love…" she had murmured in her final moments. "Do not waste your time longing for me. Find a new life, and be strong. Our kits and I will see you in StarClan. Promise me."_

_I had buried my muzzle into her soft fur, and told her I would never leave her, and she would not die._

_But she had. Heatherwing had lived with her wounds for three more moons, and she gave birth. All the kits had died, except one weak one that probably wouldn't last the night._

_And the day after she gave birth, Heatherwing had died._

_The vigil was quiet; it had consisted of her mother and he standing out in the cold, their grief mixing. At dawn they had buried her. But what did it matter? She was dead, and his life would never be the same._

_Not a day goes by when I don't think about her. I constantly hear her calling me, to go on a patrol or do my duties as deputy. But I can't. Not without her. I see her every time I stare at our son- Gorsekit. Barely a moon old, and he resembles his mother so much it's like he's her shadow. He haunts my dreams, and I know I love him down to my marrow. And I wish, with all my heart, that I could keep my promise to Heatherwing. I know, with all my heart, for our son, as the Clan's deputy, I will fight my hardest when the time comes. Heatherwing was right. I love her more than I could ever put into words, but she was right about one thing: living in grief was no way to live. I had to stay strong. And I had to take care of our son._

And as I padded through the gorse tunnel, I finally knew what true pain was like. It had been hard when my father and mother had died, but not as hard of this. Heatherwing and his dead kits were everything to him. He didn't even want to live. And the only reason he was-

He saw him.

It was Gorsekit. His eyes had opened, and they were the exact shade of Heatherwing's. He was the spitting image of her. My son padded up to me. And I knew that I would die for him in a moment, just as I was prepared to do with Heatherwing. He looked at me, eyes wide with curiousity.

"Hazelclaw tells me you're my father." He said to me.

I looked down at him, brimming with happiness, as I finally felt that Heatherwing was still with me. She would always be in our spirits.

"I am, Gorsekit. And I swear to StarClan that I will keep you safe."

_I will never let that accident ever be repeated, never again. No cat should ever go through this. I swear, with all my heart, that I will keep him safe._

. . .

Seventy moons later

. . .

Dawnstar looked at his ancient self. Even if I was still Clan leader, I was by far the oldest cat in the Clan. _But not for long_, I thought. I coughed. I had greencough, and I knew I was going to die, because I was on my last life. But I felt like I had the most energy I had had in my entire life- and that was because my son, Gorsewing, had had kits.

I had also spent the last few sickly moons thinking about my long dead mate. After all these moons, I had never had another mate or any more kits. I had stayed faithful. And every day since the day she had died, my heart had throbbed with everlasting pain, growing stronger and stronger with every day that passed. But no matter- for I was going to StarClan, and I would see her again. I had protected my son all his life. I had kept my promise.

And I was ready to see Heatherwing again.


End file.
